Researching Reform for Jordans: Survivors of Abuse Must Sit on The Panel Inquiry

This month for our column over at Jordans, we’ve chosen to write about the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Abuse, how it works and why we think the panel should include a significant number of survivors if the inquiry is to make a meaningful impact.

From the important Impartiality Clause which has caused the late chairs for the inquiry so much trouble, to the pros and cons of panel inquiries generally, we examine what the inquiry can offer survivors of abuse and why they should be an integral part of the inquiry process.

9 thoughts on “Researching Reform for Jordans: Survivors of Abuse Must Sit on The Panel Inquiry”

Natasha, can I please hijack this section to tell everyone of this video and article about trafficking.

Whilst it is about Georgia USA, it shows they recognise a growing problem, that the highest percentage of girls trafficked, 50-88%, are from foster homes.

A Georgia Senate committee that is hearing proposals to revise state foster care policies was told young girls living in Georgia foster care homes are being sold into the child sex trade. Mary Frances Bowley, founder of Wellspring Living, said the number of girls being sold for sex reaches into the hundreds. A state Division of Family and Childrens Services executive said the department is aware of perhaps 50 instances. This hearing was held on Thursday, December 12, at the State Capitol.

Mary Frances Bowley, founder of Wellspring Living stated it was around 200 girls per week being trafficked, they are between the age of 12-14 years old when it begins to happen and 50- 88% of the girls under age were from the foster care system in Georgia!

“Reports from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre suggest there are on average around 300 child trafficking victims in the UK per annum4 with 322 potential child victims referred to the NRM between 1 April 2009 and 31 December 2010. In contrast the UK’s human trafficking victim identification and support framework, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), recorded 1,254 potential victims of trafficking in the UK referred from 1 April 2009 to 31 December 2010, broken down as follows:
Exploitation Type
Number of referrals
Child
Adult
Sexual Exploitation
99
438
Labour Exploitation
98
267
Domestic Servitude
44
175
Unspecified Exploitation
81
52
Totals
322
932
No of Prosecutions – 2010/11
116*
*
While all human trafficking is abhorrent, the
Government notes the particularly vulnerable
position of children trafficked to and within the
UK. We are determined to do all we can to
prevent and safeguard children from the threat
of child traffickers and to ensure that, where
child victims are identified, they receive the best
support and protection the UK can provide”.

Now if you compare Georgia stats with the whole of the UK’s stats it would seem the UK are not recognising the grooming risks despite the media attention into the recent sex abuse scandals. There is nothing said about children in foster homes being at risk, only care homes, in the papers who .

Teresa May stated “The UK has a good record in tackling human trafficking” but is that fact or is it just not recognised. If it’s not recognised, no one has to deal with it! Many reports of grooming/trafficking has been reported in the media in the last 2 years since this report, and yet there is nothing about the risk to children in foster care, only care homes, so it will be interesting to see if the figures increase to anywhere near the Georgia figures despite the UK being much more largely populated.

“While we do not know exactly how many children are trafficked to the UK each year, most victims will be aged 12 or older, and from one of up to 40 countries. Both girls and boys are trafficked (CEOP, 2011). Internal trafficking describes citizen children who are moved and sexually exploited within the UK; the majority of these victims are girls”.

“As up to 50% of trafficked children go missing, it is important that children’s services act speedily to support and protect them”.

50% of what? No figures!

In total, CEOP identified 202 children as trafficked into and within the UK over the period 1January 2011 to 15 September 2011

“Hundreds of children who have been trafficked into the UK are disappearing each year from the care system, amid allegations that government and local authorities are failing to protect them.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, a government agency, estimates that at least 300 juveniles identified as trafficked have disappeared from local authority care over the past three years.

Collated figures from the NSPCC yesterday showed they had dealt with 549 trafficked children in the past three-and-a-half years, although there was no indication of how many had since disappeared after being delivered into care.

A policy document by the Conservatives in 2008 estimated that “over half of trafficked children disappear from social services”. The document also criticised the absence of “safe accommodation” providing 24-hour care for trafficked children. But concern is growing that the party has little appetite to tackle the issue now it is in power.

How many are affected in the UK?
•Child sexual exploitation is a hidden issue, so we can only go on estimates from national levels of service provision, including our own. Last year Barnardo’s services worked with 1,940 children and young people who had been sexually exploited.
•The true number of children who are victims of sexual exploitation is likely to be much higher.
•Younger victims are being targeted. In one month alone, Barnardo’s services worked with 126 children aged 10 to 13 who had been subjected to sexual exploitation.

I appreciate some of these reports are dated from 2011 but something is not adding up! What are the true figures of those trafficked? Of those, how many were children? Of those, how many were groomed whilst in the care system? How many from care homes? How many from foster homes? How many trafficked were once children in the care system?

Georgia is now aware a problem exists and is tackling it head on but what is the UK government doing, especially if they don’t recognise what is really happening?

Hi Natasha, I was shocked at Georgia’s figures for trafficked children that came from foster care. I then wondered what the stats were for the UK. Georgia’s population is a little under London’s population but the stats available from government sources were for the whole of the UK and not up to date. However, when compared with Georgia as an example, the governments figures for kids trafficked didn’t make sense. The figures seemed to be a fraction of what would be expected, given the size of the population! The recent media reporting of grooming/abuses in care gave lie to the previous government figures. There are ambiguous comments throughout the reports that never give the total figures as they are unknown but then, as an example, go on to say 50% of the trafficked children go missing but 50% of what? If they don’t know the total figure how do they know 50% go missing from care and how is it that ANY child goes missing from care!

The kids are supposed to be protected whilst in care but it is unknown what percentage of kids are being abused in care. It is unknown how many are groomed/trafficked. It is unknown how many go missing and it is unknown how many die! There are too many unknowns! Questions need to be asked and the government needs to be held accountable!

What’s unique about the case is the man, Michael Kohlmeyer, was not trying to pimp a young girl. He was the customer. His conviction was the first of its kind in Nashville.

“We used to prosecute the seller; now we prosecute the buyer,” Assistant District Attorney Antoinette Welch said.

“If not for the buyers, no one would be selling these girls. We want to send the message that we will not tolerate the buying and selling of children.”

Tennessee has toughened sex-trafficking laws in recent years, adding the potential for more prison time and broadening the definition of the crime. Kohlmeyer will face harsher penalties — up to 60 years in prison — because of those changes, attorneys said.

Kohlmeyer, 33, contacted a prostitute through an online escort service, Welch said. A transcript of those conversations released to The Tennessean shows the buyer offered to pay $5,000 to $10,000 for a 12-year-old girl. He said he wanted to keep her for a month.

By the way, if its true, doesn’t the public need to be informed who in parliament is a peadophile as well as who is blackmailing them? After all it may be these very MPs making laws to keep children safe!